Flip-up arrangement for a mower deck

ABSTRACT

A mower deck is selectively coupled to the front of a propelling vehicle. The deck includes an electric mowing height adjustment assembly to permit the user to vary the cutting height of the mower deck. The deck is movable about a lift shaft from a generally horizontal use position to an upright storage/servicing position while the deck is coupled with the vehicle. An electric actuator and a switch mount of the mowing height adjustment assembly not only provide the user with a way to adjust the cutting height but also cooperate with the remainder of the mowing height adjustment assembly to allow movement of the deck from the use position to the storage/servicing position. Movement of the switch mount from a generally horizontal, engaged use position to a unengaged position permits the deck to be moved from the use position to the upright storage/servicing position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application and claims the benefit ofU.S. Ser. No. 11/219,236, filed Sep. 2, 2005, entitled “Flip-upArrangement for a Mower Deck”, which is itself a continuation-in-partapplication that claims the benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 10/434,804, filedMay 9, 2003, also entitled “Flip-up Arrangement for a Mower Deck”, nowU.S. Pat. No. 7,293,398. All of the aforementioned applications areincorporated by reference herein.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a flip-up mower deck with anarrangement for positioning the mower deck between a use position and astorage/servicing position. More particularly, this invention relates toa mower deck having an improved construction which significantly reducesthe number of steps required to switch the deck from the use position tothe storage/servicing position.

Riding mowing vehicles for cutting grass or vegetation have becomefairly commonplace in today's society. The vehicles have been designedto solve various problems and perform various tasks. One type of mowingvehicle that has become fairly common are those which have mowing decksattached to the front of the vehicle. By placing the mower deck forwardof the forward most wheels of the vehicle, the operator of the vehiclecan often get the deck closer to objects, such as trees, while mowingthan if the deck was mounted behind the vehicle's front wheels.Additionally, by mounting the deck forward of the vehicle's frontwheels, the amount of grass left uncut when a user turns around duringmowing is often significantly reduced if not eliminated.

When a mower deck is mounted to the front of a vehicle, it is oftendesirable for the operator to be able to quickly and easily couple anduncouple the deck from the front of the vehicle. For example, theoperator may wish to perform a task other than mowing and therefore needto place a different implement on the front of the vehicle, such as asnow blower. One extremely advantageous hitching arrangement isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,886 to Esau et al., which is hereinincorporated by reference. This patent discloses a hitching arrangementbetween a mower deck and a propelling vehicle. This hitching arrangementreadily permits an operator of the vehicle to quickly couple or uncouplethe mower deck from the propelling vehicle. This patent discloses ahitching arrangement between a mower deck and propelling vehicle thatincludes a lift shaft rotatably supported by and extending transverselyacross the deck. It further discloses at least one hitch arm secured onone end to the lift shaft and having a hook with a downwardly facingopening on its other end for engagement with a generally horizontallydisposed attaching member on the propelling vehicle. The deck includes acutting height adjustment mechanism to permit the operator to vary thecutting height of the mower deck. The cutting height adjustmentmechanism is also operably coupled to the lift shaft to permit theoperator to rotate the lift shaft and thereby couple or uncouple thedeck with the mowing vehicle by moving the hooks out of engagement withthe horizontal attaching member.

While the hitching arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,886 ishighly advantageous, one of the drawbacks of the particular arrangementwas its inability to provide the operator with ready and immediateaccess to the underneath side of the deck while the deck is coupled withthe mowing vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,503 to Esaw et al., however,disclosed a flip-up arrangement for a mower deck that overcame thisnarrow drawback, and is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Thisflip-up arrangement included a unique mechanism in the hitch arms thatpermitted the deck to be flipped up to a generally vertical positionwhile still attached to the vehicle, thereby permitting ready access tothe underneath of the mower deck. This not only allowed the operator toclean the underneath of the deck and have access to the blades toperform maintenance thereon, but provided a quick and practical way toreduce the overall length of the mowing vehicle for storage purposes.

While successful in overcoming some disadvantages of prior deckarrangements, the mower deck of U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,503 does have somedrawbacks. In particular, the disclosed mower deck requires that a deckstand be coupled with a rear of the deck for mounting and dismountingthe deck from the vehicle as well as to flip the deck up to itsstorage/servicing position. Other drawbacks include having to adjust thelift lever to install the deck stand and then again having to adjust thelift lever before the deck can be flipped up, having to disconnect thePTO drive shaft from the mower deck before the deck can be flipped up,and having to unlock the deck by moving levers prior to flipping thedeck up.

Therefore, there is a need for a flip-up deck arrangement which does notrequire the attachment of items to the deck prior to being able to flipthe deck up to the storage/servicing position. There is also a need fora flip-up deck arrangement that permits movement of the deck from a useposition to a storage/service position without requiring uncoupling thedeck from the power takeoff of the mowing vehicle. There is also a needfor a flip-up deck arrangement which does not require the operator toperform numerous steps before being able to move the deck from its useposition to its storage/servicing position. The present inventionovercomes the drawbacks of the prior art and fills these and otherneeds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to overcome the above stated problems and limitations, and toachieve the noted advantages, there is provided a flip-up deckarrangement for a mower that permits the deck to be moved from a useposition to a storage/servicing position in a minimal number of stepsperformed by the vehicle operator. The deck includes a mowing heightadjustment lever to permit the operator to vary the cutting height ofthe mower. The mowing height adjustment lever cooperates with a firstlatching member when the mower height adjustment lever is in an uprightposition to prevent movement of the deck from the use position to thestorage/servicing position. When the mowing height adjustment lever ismoved to a collapsed position, it is moved out of cooperation with thefirst latching member and thereby permits movement of the deck from theuse position to the storage/servicing position.

The deck further includes a locking mechanism that automatically locksthe deck in the storage/servicing position when the deck is moved fromthe use position to the storage/servicing position. The deck then staysin the storage/servicing position until the user deactivates the lockingmechanism to thereby permit the deck to be returned to the use position.

Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention willbe set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of thefollowing, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the invention noted above are explained in more detailwith reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawingfigures, in which like reference numerals denote like elements, in whichFIGS. 1-28 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a mower having a deck of thepresent invention ready to be coupled with a propelling vehicle;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a mower with a deck of the presentinvention in a use position;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of a mower with a deck of the presentinvention in a use position;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a mower with a deck of the presentinvention in a use position;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the mower illustrated in FIG. 2 furtherillustrating a mower height adjustment lever movable from an uprightposition to a collapsed positioned illustrated in dash lines;

FIG. 6 is a view of the mower of FIG. 5 from the opposite side andillustrating the mower height adjustment lever in the collapsedposition.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a mower with the deck of thepresent invention in a storage/servicing position;

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a mower with the deck of thepresent invention in a storage/servicing position;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a mower with a deck ofthe present invention in the storage/servicing position illustrated froman opposite side of that depicted in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the area 10 in FIG. 3 furtherillustrating primary and secondary latch members of the deck;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a mowing heightadjustment mechanism of the present invention including a mowing heightadjustment lever and further illustrating its cooperation with first andsecond latching members to prevent movement of the deck from the useposition to the storage/servicing position;

FIG. 12 is a view of the portion of the deck illustrated in FIG. 11 froman opposite side;

FIG. 13 is the view of FIG. 12 illustrating the secondary latch in anunlatched position;

FIG. 14 is the view of FIG. 13 illustrating the mower height adjustmentlever in a collapsed position;

FIG. 15 is the view of FIG. 14 illustrating the relationship between thefirst latching member and an upper surface of the deck as the deck ismoved from the use position to the storage/servicing position;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the area 16 in FIG. 3 furtherillustrating an automatic latching assembly for retaining the deck inthe storage/servicing position;

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary view of the deck of FIG. 9 illustrating aheight adjustment linkage arm in a retracted position with a portion ofthe arm cut away;

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the mowing heightadjustment mechanism of FIG. 11 with portions of the deck omitted forclarity;

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary view of the deck of FIG. 4 with portionsthereof omitted for clarity and illustrating one of the parallel linkageassemblies in an exploded view;

FIG. 20 is a rear perspective view of a mower having a deck of a secondembodiment of the present invention ready to be coupled with apropelling vehicle;

FIG. 21 is a top perspective view of a mower with a deck of the secondembodiment of the present invention in a use position;

FIG. 22 is a side elevational view of a mower with the deck of thesecond embodiment of the present invention in a storage/servicingposition;

FIG. 23 is an enlarged, fragmentary, top perspective view of anindicator linkage of the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 24 is enlarged, fragmentary, top perspective view of an electronicheight adjustment assembly of the second embodiment of the presentinvention in a first position;

FIG. 25 is enlarged, fragmentary, top perspective view of the electronicheight adjustment assembly of the second embodiment of the presentinvention in a second position;

FIG. 26 is enlarged, fragmentary, top perspective view of a switch mountof the electronic height adjustment assembly of the second embodiment ofthe present invention from an opposite side as in FIG. 24;

FIG. 27 is an exploded top perspective view of the deck of the secondembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 28 is an enlarged top perspective view of an actuator with portionsof the actuator omitted for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings in more detail and initially to FIG. 1,numeral 10 generally designates a mower deck having a flip-uparrangement, the mower deck constructed in accordance with the presentinvention. The mower deck 10 is selectively coupled to a front 12 of apropelling vehicle 14, such as a lawn tractor. The vehicle 14 includes amotor 16 which, as with most mowers with front mount decks, drives thefront wheels 18 of the vehicle. The illustrated vehicle 14 includes arear caster wheel 20 and is steered by control arms 22. Alternatively,the vehicle could have rear wheels which are controlled by a steeringwheel. A power take off 24 (best seen in FIG. 4) is provided at thefront 12 of the vehicle 14 to provide power to an attachment, in thiscase the mower deck 10, coupled to the front of the vehicle 14.

The deck includes a housing 26 that contains cutting blades 28 forcutting grass or vegetation. Caster wheels 30 are positioned at a front32 of the deck 10 and support the front 32 of the deck 10 duringoperation of the mower 34 as they ride along the ground. The combinationof the vehicle 14 and the mower deck 10 are often collectively referredto herein as a mower 34 for simplicity. The caster wheels have a fork 35with a generally vertical shaft 37. The caster wheels 30 also cooperatewith a mower height adjustment assembly 36 to permit the operator toadjust the cutting height of the mower 34 (i.e., the distance betweenthe cutting blades 28 and the ground).

The mower height adjustment assembly 36 includes two parallel linkageassemblies 38 which are coupled on one end to a caster wheel 30 and onthe other end to a front wheel height adjustment linkage arm 40. As isreadily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, each parallellinkage 38 has four pivot points, namely, upper and lower rear pivotpoints 41, 42, respectively, and upper and lower front pivot points 43,44, respectively. The front 32 of the deck 10 has two towers 45, eachfor supporting a caster wheel 30. As best illustrated in FIG. 19, eachtower 45 has an upper horizontal passage 48 and a lower horizontalpassage 49. A wheel member 51 similarly has an upper horizontal passage53 and a lower horizontal passage 55. The wheel member 51 also has avertical passage 57 for rotatably receiving the shaft 37 of the casterwheel 30. The wheel member 51 is pivotably coupled with the tower 45 bya lower link bar 59 and an upper link member 61. A bolt 63 passesthrough the lower passage 49 in the tower and through the link bar 59 tocreate the lower rear pivot point 42 while another bolt 63 passesthrough the upper passage 47 in the tower and through the link member 61to create the upper rear pivot point 41. Similarly, another bolt 63passes through the lower passage 55 in the wheel member 51 and throughthe link member 61 to create the upper front pivot point 43. The linkmember 61 also includes a tongue 65 which extends downwardly andrearwardly from the upper rear pivot point 41. The height adjustmentlinkage arm 40 is pivotally coupled to the tongue 65 of the link member61. As discussed in greater detail below this arrangement (i.e., theparallel linkage assemblies 38 permit the user to raise and lower thefront caster wheels 30 to adjust the cutting height of the deck whilemaintaining the shaft 37 in a generally vertical position.

A covering 46 is positioned on top of the housing 26 and covers thedrive assembly (not shown) which connects the various blades 28. Thedrive assembly generally takes the form of a plurality of pulleysinterconnected by belts. Adjacent a rear 48 of the deck 10 is a gear box50 (best illustrated in FIG. 8). The gear box 50 is connected to a driveshaft 52 via a U-joint 54. A distal end 56 of the drive shaft 50 iscoupled with the power take off 24. The drive shaft 52 is preferablynon-round and, as illustrated, can be square in cross-section. A secondU-joint 58 is preferably coupled to the power take off 24 and has atubular drive shaft 60 extending outwardly therefrom. The distal end 56of the drive shaft 52 is slidably received in the tubular drive shaft 60in telescoping fashion. This arrangement permits the drive shaft 52 toslide back and forth in the tubular drive shaft 60 as the deck 10 ismoved from the use position to the storage/servicing position, therebypermitting the blade drive assembly to remain mechanically coupled withthe vehicle 14 when the deck 10 is in the use position, thestorage/servicing position and any position therebetween. Thisarrangement eliminates the necessity of requiring the use disconnect thedrive shaft of the mower deck from the vehicle prior to flipping thedeck to the storage/servicing position, as was required in the priordeck disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,503.

The mower height adjustment assembly 36 also includes a lift shaft 62that is coupled to and extends transversely across the rear 48 of thedeck 10. The lift shaft 62 is pivotally coupled with the deck 10 byclevis like U-shaped receiving members 64 at opposite ends of the liftshaft 62. With reference to FIG. 1, the upper portions of receivingmembers 64 are shown. Each receiving member 60 curves downwardly fromits upper portion to the lower portion to form a U-shaped receivingaperture (best illustrated in FIG. 19). The open end of each U-shapedaperture faces toward the vehicle 14. The lift shaft 62 is held in theU-shaped apertures of receiving members 64 by bolts 67.

The lift shaft 62, unlike that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,503,includes an offset section 66 intermediate the ends of the lift shaft62. The offset section permits the relative height of the gear box 50 tobe raised in the mower deck 10 by going around the U-joint 54 whilestill permitting the lift shaft 62 to function as a single unitarypiece.

A pair of hitch arms 68 are connected to and extend outwardly from thelift shaft 62 in a direction rearwardly of the deck 10. At a distal end70 of each hitch arm 68, a hook member 72 is provided to facilitatecoupling the mower deck 10 with the vehicle 14. The hook member 72include retractable latch pin mechanisms 74 to permit a user to readilycouple and uncouple the hook member 72 in the manner more fullydescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,886.

A pair of actuating members 78 are coupled at their proximal ends 80 tothe lift shaft 62 on opposite sides of the offset section 66. Eachactuating member 78 includes a pair of upstanding support plates 82spaced apart from one another in a generally parallel relationship. Thesupport plates 82 of an actuating member 78 are connected to the liftshaft 62 in a spaced apart relationship in such a manner that they areon opposite sides of one of the U-shaped receiving members 64 when thelift shaft 62 is coupled to the deck 10. At a distal end 84 of theactuating member 78, the support plates 82 have a bore 86 therethroughfor receiving a bolt 88.

As best illustrated in FIG. 17, the front wheel height adjustmentlinkage arm 40 includes a sleeve 90 that slidably receives a rod 92 intelescoping fashion. The sleeve 90 is generally tubular in nature andhas a proximal end 94 and a distal end 96. A transverse bore 98 ispositioned through the sleeve adjacent the proximal end for receivingthe bolt 88 of one of the actuating members 78. A reduced diameterportion at the distal end 96 of the sleeve 90 forms an annular ledge 100that functions as a stop to retain the rod 92 in the sleeve 90.

The rod 92 has a proximal end 102 and a distal end 104. The distal end104 has an enlarged diameter section 106 that cooperates with theannular ledge 100 of the sleeve 90 to maintain the rod 92 in the sleeve90 during use. The proximal end 102 of the rod 92 is coupled with theupper link member 61 of the parallel linkage 38 to facilitate adjustmentof the mowing height. In the illustrated embodiment, the rod 92 iscoupled with the upper link member 61 by way of a connector 108. Theconnector has a tube portion 110 with a tongue portion 112 extendingoutwardly therefrom. The tongue portion 112 has a bore 114 therethroughand a bolt 116 passes through the bore 114 to mechanically couple theconnector 108 to the upper link member 61. The tube portion 110 ofconnector 108 is slidably received on the proximal end 102 of the rod 92and is positioned intermediate a nut 118 and a spacer nut 120. Theproximal end 94 of the rod 92 is externally threaded to receive the nuts118, 120. This arrangement permits the user to adjust the overall lengthof the linkage arm 40 by moving the connector 108 up and down the rod92.

The mower height adjustment assembly 36 further includes a mowing heightcontrol plate 122 and a mowing height adjustment lever 124. The heightcontrol plate 122 is mounted on an upper surface 126 of the housing 26adjacent a discharge side 128 of the deck 10. The height control plate122 is semi-circular in nature and is mounted in an upstanding positionwhich resembles a fin. An upper edge 130 of the height control plate 122includes a plurality of notches 132 therein to cooperate with the heightadjustment lever 124 to maintain the same in a desired location asdescribed in greater detail below. The upper edge 130 generally presentsan arcuate surface.

The height adjustment lever preferably includes first and second arms134, 136 respectively, as best illustrated in FIG. 18. The first arm 134is the longer of the two arms 134, 136 and has a proximal end 138 and adistal end 140. The first arm 134 is pivotally coupled to the deck 10 byreceiving a bolt 142 through an aperture 144 located adjacent itsproximal end 138. The distal end 140 of the first arm 134 is bent toform a handle portion 146. The second arm 136 is also pivotally coupledto the deck 10 by receiving the bolt 142 through an aperture 148 in aproximal end 150 of the second arm 136.

As best illustrated in FIG. 18, an upper portion of the second arm isbent inwardly such that an abutting portion 152 of the second arm 136abuts the first arm 134. The second arm 136 is connected to the firstarm 134 preferably by welding the abutting portion 152 to the first arm134. A distal end 154 of the second arm 136 is bent outwardly and isgenerally perpendicular to the first arm 134. A bore 156 through thesecond arm 136 adjacent the distal end 154 serves as a guide for a rod158.

The rod 158 has a lowermost first section 160 that is generallyhorizontal and is perpendicular to the first and second arms 134, 136.The first section 160 passes through an elongate opening 162 in thesecond arm 136 and an elongate opening 164 in the first arm 134. Asecond section 166 of the rod 158 is generally perpendicular to thefirst section 160 and is generally parallel to the first arm 134. Thesecond section 166 is slidably received in the bore 156 in the secondarm 136 and the bore 156 limits the vertical movement. The secondsection 166 transitions to a third section 168 that is angled towardsthe first arm 134 and the third section transitions to a fourth section170 that is adjacent and generally parallel to the first arm 134. Thefourth section 170 passes through an opening 172 in an angled section174 of the handle portion 146 of the first arm 134. The fourth section170 transitions into a fifth section 176 that is generally perpendicularto the fourth section 170. The second section 166 includes a bore 178therein for receiving an end of a spring 180. The spring 180 is receivedon the second section 166 of the rod 158 intermediate the bore 178 and alower surface 182 of the second arm 136 adjacent its distal end 154. Thespring works to bias the rod 158 to a lowermost or engaged position, asillustrated in FIG. 18.

A pivot tube 184 is connected to the first arm 134 opposite the secondarm 136 and adjacent the aperture 144. The pivot tube 134 is coaxialwith the aperture 144 and receives the bolt 142. A stub plate 186 isconnected to the pivot tube 184 opposite the first arm 134. The stubplate is generally parallel to the first arm 134 and includes anaperture 188 for receiving the bolt 142.

An abutment rod 190 is positioned between the first arm 134 and the stubplate 186 and is generally parallel to the pivot tube 184. The abutmentrod 190, as illustrated, is cylindrical in nature with an outer diameterapproximately equal to an outer diameter of the pivot tube 184.

The mowing height adjustment assembly 30 also includes a primary latchmember 192, as best illustrated in FIGS. 10-15. The primary latch member192 has a latch plate 194 and an adjustment plate 196. The latch plate194 has a proximal end 198 and a distal end 200. The latch plate 194includes an elongate opening 202 which receives the bolt 88 to pivotallycouple the latch plate 194 between the support plates 82 of theactuating member 78 on the discharge side 128 of the mower deck 10. Thelatch plate 194 further includes two internally threaded bolt holes 204for receiving bolts 206 to couple the adjustment plate 196 to the latchplate 194. The latch plate 194 has a cutout 208 which creates a ledge210. The cutout 208 receives a flange of the adjustment plate 196. Anadjustment bolt 214 passes through an aperture 216 in the flange 212 andcooperates with the ledge 210 to permit the user to adjust therelationship between the adjustment plate 196 and the latch plate 194.The adjustment plate also has two elongate openings 218 which align withthe bolt holes 204.

A pivot tube 220 is provided in the adjustment plate 196 to create anopening therethrough. The pivot tube receives the bolt 88 to rotatablycouple the adjustment plate 196 with the discharge side 128 actuatingmember 78. A portion of the pivot tube 220 is received in the elongateopening 202 of the latch plate 194. It would be readily understood toone of ordinary skill in the art that, as the user tightens theadjustment bolt 214, the distal end 200 of the latch plate 194 is movedaway from the actuating member 82 as the pivot tube 220 slides along theelongate opening 202. When the latch plate 194 is in the desiredlocation, the bolts 206 can be tightened to prevent movement between thelatch plate 194 and the adjustment plate 196.

The latch plate 194 further includes a notch 222 in a bottom edge 224 ofthe latch plate 194. The notch 222 is generally U-shaped in nature andis sized to receive the abutment rod 190 of the mowing height adjustmentlever 124, as discussed in greater detail below.

A secondary latch member 226 is rotatably coupled to the latch plate 194of the primary latch member 192 via a bolt 228. The bolt 228 passesthrough an elongate opening 230 in the secondary latch member 226 and anaperture 232 in the primary latch member 194. An opening 234 is providedin the latch plate 194. The opening 234 has an arcuate section 236 and astraight section 238. A bolt 240 passes through an aperture 242 in thesecondary latch member and is slidably received in the opening 234 inthe primary latch member 192. The arcuate section 236 of the opening 234is formed by a radius from the center of the aperture 232 in the latchplate 194. Accordingly, as the secondary latch member 226 is moved froma latched position illustrated in FIG. 12 to an unlatched positionillustrated in FIG. 13, the secondary latch member 226 pivots on thebolt 228 and the bolt 240 travels along the arcuate section 236 of theopening 234 in the latch plate 194 until the bolt 240 reaches thestraight section 238 of the opening 234. When the bolt 240 reaches thestraight section 238, the elongate opening 230 in the secondary latchmember 226 is generally parallel to the straight section 238. The motionof the secondary latch member 226 then shifts from a pivoting motion,where the secondary latch member 226 is rotating about the bolt 228, toa sliding motion as the bolt 240 slides down the straight section 238and the secondary latch member 226 moves towards the housing 26 to theopen position illustrated in FIG. 13. As the bolt 240 is sliding downthe straight section 238, the elongate opening 230 in the secondarylatch member 226 slides down the bolt 228. This arrangement permits thesecondary latch member 226 to be stored in the open position illustratedin FIG. 13. When the user desires to move the secondary latch from theopen position of FIG. 13 to the latched position of FIG. 12, the usermust first lift the secondary latch member 226 in the directionindicated by the arrow in FIG. 13 until the bolt 240 enters the arcuatesection 236 of the opening. The user can then pull the secondary latchmember 226 forward until it is in the latched position.

To facilitate moving the secondary latch member 226, an opening 244 isprovided in the secondary latch member 226 to create a handle portion246. The secondary latch member 226 also includes a notch 248 in an edge250 of the secondary latch member 226. The notch 248 in the secondarylatch member 226 is similar to the notch 222 in the primary latch member192 and will be discussed in greater detail below.

A spring 252 is provided to bias the primary latch member 192downwardly, as illustrated in FIGS. 10-15, so that the distal end 200 ofthe primary latch member 192 abuts the upper surface 126 of the housing26. The spring 252 has a first end 254 which is wrapped around one ofthe support plates 82, a second end 256 which is wrapped around theprimary latch member 192 in the cutout 208, and a coil section 258intermediate the ends 254, 256. The pivot tube 220 of the adjustmentplate 196 is received in the coil section 258 of the spring 252.

The deck 10 has a plurality of upstanding rails 260 mounted to the uppersurface 126 of the housing 26. The rails 260 include a plurality ofapertures 262 therein to permit the coupling of various components ofthe mower height adjustment assembly 36 to the mower deck 10 by way ofbolts 264. For example, the mowing height control plate 122 is bolted toone of the rails 260 and the bolt 142 passes through two of the rails260 to pivotally couple the mowing height adjustment lever 124 to thedeck 10. In the embodiment illustrated, one of the rails 260 terminatesat a rearward end at one of the U-shaped receiving members 64.

The deck 10 further includes a latch plate 266 (best illustrated inFIGS. 6, 9, 16 and 17) for automatically securing the deck 10 in thestorage/servicing position when the deck 10 is moved from the useposition to the storage/servicing position. The latch plate 266 has andaperture 268 therethrough adjacent a proximal end 270. The latch plate266 is coupled to a rail 260 on the upper surface 126 of the housing 26opposite the discharge side 128 via a bolt 272 through the aperture 268.A spring 274 (best illustrated in FIG. 16) is positioned on the bolt 272intermediate the head of the bolt 272 and the latch plate 266 to biasthe latch plate toward the discharge side 128 of the deck 10.

The latch plate 266 further includes an elongate opening 276therethrough. The latch plate 266 also has a bend 278 therein to providean angled portion 280 adjacent a distal end 282. The angled portion 280bends away from the discharge side 128 of the deck 10. The bolt 88 inthe actuating member 78 opposite the discharge side 128 includes anextension 284. The extension 284 cooperates with the elongate opening276 in the latch plate 266 to retain the deck 10 in thestorage/servicing position, as illustrated in FIG. 9 and as discussed ingreater detail below.

Turning now to FIG. 1, at this point, the deck 10 is sitting on theground and is maneuverable by virtue of the fact it is resting on thecaster wheels 30 and anti-scalp wheels 286 at the rear 48 at the deck10. The mowing height adjustment lever 124 is in an upright position.The user first rolls the deck 10 toward the vehicle 14 and couples thedeck 10 to the vehicle 14 by the hook members 72. The drive shaft 52 isslidably received in the tubular drive shaft 60.

FIGS. 2-4 illustrate the deck 10 coupled to the propelling vehicle 14with the deck 10 in a use position and the mowing height adjustmentlever 124 in an upright position. To provide a better view of theconnection between the deck 10 and the vehicle 14, a footrest 288 of thevehicle 14 has been illustrated in a raised and generally verticalposition. During use of the mower 34, the footrest 288 would be in agenerally horizontal orientation.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the cutting height of the mower deck 10 is ina set position as the first section 160 of the rod 158 of the mowerheight adjustment assembly 36 is received in a notch 132 in the mowingheight control plate 122. To change the cutting height, the user would,while seated in a seat 290 of the vehicle 14, grasp the handle portion146 of the first arm 134 of the mowing height adjustment lever 124 withtheir right hand. The palm of their hand would rest on top of the handleportion 146 while the user's fingers would wrap around the fifth section176 of the rod 158. The user would then close their hand, thereby movingthe fifth section 176 of the rod 158 towards the handle portion 146which would in turn raised the rod 58 and, more importantly, lift thefirst section 160 out of the notch 132 in the mowing height controlplate 122.

Once the rod 158 is disengaged from the notch 132 of the control plate122, the user could raise the cutting height by pulling the mowingheight adjustment lever 124 towards them or lower the cutting height bypushing the mowing height adjustment lever 124 away from them (i.e.,towards the front 32 of the mower deck 10). In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 2, the cutting height can be lowered one setting, asone notch 132 is forward of the rod 158, and can be raised up to foursettings, as four notches 132 are to the rear of the illustratedposition of the rod 158. The notches 132 are preferably spaced apart ina predetermined manner that movement of the rod 58 from one notch to 132the next adjoining notch 132 changes the cutting height by a half inchincrement. When the deck is raised or lowered to the desired cuttingheight, the user releases their grip on the fifth section 176 of the rod158 and the spring 180 lowers the rod 158 and in turn the first section160 down into the corresponding notch 132.

When the mower height adjustment lever 124 is in the upright position,as illustrated in FIG. 2, the abutment rod 190 is received in the notch222 in the latch plate 194 of the primary latch member 192, asillustrated in FIG. 13. When the rod 158 is not received in a notch 132of the mowing height control plate 122 and the user pulls the mowingheight adjustment lever 124 towards the vehicle 14, the mower heightadjustment lever 124 pivots on the bolt 142 and the abutment rod 190 ismoved towards the rear 48 of the deck 10. Because the abutment rod 190is received in the notch 222 of the latch plate 194, the rearwardmovement of the abutment rod 190 is transferred through the primarylatch member 192 to the actuating member 78. This movement causes thedistal end 84 of the actuating member 78 on the discharge side 128 ofthe mower to also move towards the vehicle 14. As the actuating member78 is coupled with the lift shaft 62 at its proximal end 80, therearward movement of the distal end 84 of the actuating member 78 causesthe lift shaft 62 to rotate in the U-shaped receiving member 64.

When the deck 10 is in the use position illustrated in FIG. 2, thecontrol arms 40 are in their fully extended position with the enlargeddiameter section 106 of the rod 92 abutting the annular ledge 100 of thesleeve 90. Accordingly, as the distal end 84 of the actuating member 78on the discharge side 128 of the deck 10 is moved rearwardly, the sleeve90 of the control arm 40 is moved towards the vehicle 14 by virtue ofthe fact that the proximal end 94 of the sleeve 90 is coupled with thebolt 88 in the actuating member 78. The sleeve 90 in turn pulls the rod92 rearwardly which in turn pulls on the tongue 65 to activate theparallel linkage 38. As the control arm 40 pulls the tongue 65rearwardly, the upper link member 61 rotates about the upper rear pivotpoint 41, thereby moving the front of the upper link member 61, and inturn the castor wheel 30, downwardly. The lower link bar 59 remainsparallel to the upper link member 61 and cooperate therewith to maintainthe shaft 37 of the castor wheel 30 in a vertical orientation at alltimes. Accordingly, as the mowing height adjustment lever is pulledrearwardly, the parallel linkage 38 works to lower the front casterwheel 30.

The actuating member 78 opposite the discharge side 128 is alsosimultaneously rotating rearwardly as it is connected to the rotatinglift shaft 62. This actuating member 78 pulls on its control arm 40 toactuate the other parallel linkage 38 to lower the other caster wheel 30by the same amount. Accordingly, by pulling back on the mowing heightadjustment lever 124, the primary latch member 192 causes both actuatingmembers 78 to rotate rearwardly thereby forcing the control arms 40 toactuate the parallel linkages 38 to lower the front caster wheels 30. Tolower the cutting height, the user simply moves the mowing heightadjustment lever 124 forward until the desired cutting height isachieved. The weight of the deck 10 on the front caster wheels 30continually tries to pull the mower height adjustment lever 124 forward.This force is counteracted by receiving the rod 158 and one of thenotches 132 in the mowing height control plate 122.

To move the deck 10 from the use position illustrated in FIGS. 2-4 tothe storage/servicing position illustrated in FIGS. 7-9, the user firstmoves the mowing height adjustment lever 124 from the upright positionto a collapsed position, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. To do this,the user pulls up on the fifth section 176 of the rod 158 to remove therod from its engagement with one of the notches 132 in the mowing heightcontrol plate 122. The user then pushes the handle portion 146 of themowing height adjustment lever 124 away from the vehicle 14. Once thelever 124 is moved sufficiently forward that the first section 160 ofthe rod 158 clears the forwardmost upper notch 132, which represents thelowest mowing height setting, the user may release the rod 158. Thefirst section 160 of the rod 158 then rides along the upper edge 130 ofthe mowing height control plate 122 until the height adjustment lever124 is in the collapsed position, wherein the spring 180 will force thefirst section 160 of the rod 158 into the lowermost and forwardmostnotch 132 in the mowing height control plate 122 to retain the mowingheight adjustment lever in the collapsed position.

Turning now to FIGS. 10-14, movement of the mowing height adjustmentlever 124 from the upright to the collapsed position is illustrated.FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate the mowing height control arm 124 in theupright position with both the primary and secondary latch members 192,226 engaged with the abutment rod 190 of the mowing height adjustmentlever 124. The primary latch member 192 is all that is necessary to beengaged with the abutment rod 190 during operation of the mower 34. Withjust the primary latch member 192 engaged, the deck 10 is free to floatduring mowing and move up and down with corresponding changes in theterrain being mowed. The abutment rod 190 and the primary latch member192 still cooperate to control the cutting height and to preventmovement of the deck from the use position all the way to thestorage/servicing position, provided the mowing height adjustment lever124 remains in an upright position by the rod 158 being engaged with themowing height control plate 122.

The secondary latch member 226 is provided to lock the abutment rod 190into engagement with the primary latch member 192. In this arrangement,the deck can be made not to float and, in fact, by moving the lever 124forward, the user can force the deck down to a lower position.Additionally, having the secondary latch member 226 in the latchedposition, illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 is necessary if hydraulics areused to raise and lower the deck 10.

With the mower height adjustment assembly 36 arranged as illustrated inFIGS. 11 and 12, to move the deck 10 from the use position to thestorage/servicing position, the user first disengages the secondarylatch member 226 by pulling up on the handle portion 246 of thesecondary latch member 226 to rotate it in the direction of the arrow inFIG. 12 from the latched position in FIG. 12 to the unlatched positionillustrated in FIG. 13. Again, if the user does not use hydraulics toraise and lower the deck and desires the deck to float during use, thesecondary latch member 226 would normally be in the unlatched positionillustrated in FIG. 13 during operation of the mower 34.

With the secondary latch member 226 unlatched, as illustrated in FIG.13, the user can disengage the rod 158 from the mowing height controlplate 122 and move the mowing height adjustment lever 124 from theupright position illustrated in FIG. 13 to the collapsed positionillustrated in FIG. 14 by pushing the lever 124 in the direction of thearrow in FIG. 13. As the mowing height adjustment lever 124 moves fromthe upright position to the collapsed position, the abutment rod 190rotates out of receipt in the notch 222 of the primary latch member 192and therefore out of engagement with the primary latch member 192, asillustrated in FIG. 14. The deck 10 is now in a position to be movedfrom the use position to the storage/servicing position.

To move the deck from the use position to the storage/servicingposition, the user now simply grabs the front 32 of the deck 10 andlifts upwardly. The housing 26 rotates around the lift shaft 62 by wayof the U-shaped receiving member 64. The actuating members 78 which areconnected to the lift shaft 62 remain in an upright position asillustrated in FIGS. 9, 15 and 17. As the front of the deck 10 israised, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the distal end 200 of the primarylatch member 192 slides along the upper surface 126 to the housing 26and the primary latch member 192 is raised upwardly as it pivots aroundthe bolt 88 of the actuating member 78. Also, as the front of the deck10 is raised, the abutment rod 190 moves towards the notch 222 in thelatch plate 194. However, the abutment rod 190 does not enter the notch222 but instead goes slightly below the opening of the notch 222 andabuts the bottom edge 224 of the latch plate 194, as illustrated in FIG.15. Because the abutment rod 190 does not get received in the notch 222of primary latch member 192, the primary latch member 192 does notcooperate with the abutment rod 190 to prevent the front of the deck 10from being raised to the storage/servicing position and the user cancontinue to raise the deck to the storage/servicing position.

Turning now to FIG. 17, as the deck 10 approaches the storage/servicingposition by pivoting around the lift shaft 62, the angled portion 280 ofthe latch plate 266 comes in contact with the extension 284. As the deck10 is continued to be pivoted to the storage/servicing position, theangled portion 280 of the latch plate 266 slides along the extension 284and, because the spring 274 is provided on the bolt 272 that couples thelatch plate 266 to the rail 260, the extension 284 deflects the latchplate 266 outwardly. When the deck 10 reaches the storage/servicingposition, the extension 284 becomes aligned with the elongate opening276 in the latch plate 260 and the spring 274 forces the latch plate 260to its resting position, thereby receiving the extension 284 in theelongate opening 276 to retain the deck 10 in the storage/servicingposition. The user can now let go of the front of the deck and the deckwill stay in the storage/servicing position until the user desires tomove the deck 10 back to the use position.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, by virtue of the telescoping arrangementbetween the sleeve 90 and the rod 92 of the control arms 40, as the deck10 is moved from the use position to the storage/servicing position, therod 92 slides into the sleeve 90 until it is almost fully received inthe sleeve 90. This arrangement permits the control arms 40 toautomatically shorten in length as the deck 10 is moved from the useposition to the storage/servicing position.

When the user desires to return the deck from the storage/servicingposition to the use position, the user simply pulls outwardly on theangled portion 280 of the latch plate 266 to remove the extension 284from receipt in the elongate opening 276 of the latch plate 266. Theuser can then lower the front of the deck 10 back down until the frontcaster wheels 30 rest on the ground. As the front of the deck 10 islowered back down, the control arms 40 automatically lengthen as the rod92 of each control arm is gradually pulled out of its sleeve 90. To getthe mower 34 ready to mow, the user then simply disengages the rod 158from the lowermost notch 132 in the mowing height control plate 122 andlifts the mowing height adjustment lever 124 back up to an uprightposition where the rod 158 engages one of the upper notches 132. As themowing height adjustment lever 124 is raised back up to an uprightposition, the abutment rod 190 is moved back up into receipt in thenotch 222 in the primary latch member 192. Preferably, the abutment rod190 is fully received in the notch 222 before the first section 160 ofthe rod 158 reaches the forwardmost notch 132 in the mowing heightcontrol plate 122 in the upper grouping of notches 132 such that themowing height adjustment lever 124 causes the control arms 40 to reachtheir fully extended position, where the enlarged diameter sections 106of the rods 92 are engaged with the annular ledges 100 of the sleeves90, and in turn causes the front caster wheels to be lowered slightlybefore the mowing height adjustment lever 124 can be locked in thelowest mowing height setting.

A second embodiment of the present invention is disclosed with referenceto FIGS. 20-28. With specific reference to FIGS. 3 and 21, it will benoted that the mowing height adjustment lever 124, the primary latch 192consisting generally of the latch plate 194 and the adjustment plate196, the secondary latch member 226, and the deck latch 266 have beenremoved. As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the mower height assembly 36 nowincludes an indicator linkage 292 and an electronic height adjustmentassembly 294. The towers 45 have been modified such that they extend tothe rear 48 of the deck 10 as will be further discussed below. Theremaining elements of the mower deck 10 remain virtually unchanged.

Referring now to FIGS. 23 and 27, the indicator linkage 292 generallyincludes an upper link 296, a lower link 298, and a height indicator300. The upper link 296 has a distal end 302 and a proximal end 304. Theproximal end 304 has an aperture 306 which receives the bolt 88 topivotally couple the upper link 296 between the support plates 82 of theactuating member 78 on the discharge side 128 of the mower deck 10. Thedistal end 302 contains an aperture 308 and a flange 310 with anaperture 312, the flange 310 extending inwardly and generallyperpendicularly to an inner surface of the upper link 296 adjacent thedistal end 302.

The lower link 298 has a proximal end 314 and a distal end 316. Thedistal end 316 contains an aperture 318 that receives a bolt 320 passingthrough the distal end 302 of the upper link 296 to couple the upperlink 296 to the lower link 298. The height indicator 300 includes apointer 322, an arcuate member 324, and a cylindrical tube 326. Thearcuate member 324 is semi-circular in nature with an arcuate slot 328contained therein. The cylindrical tube 326 is coupled to the arcuatemember 324 at its lower portion. The pointer 322 is coupled to thearcuate member 324 and extends upwardly therefrom. The height indicator300 is pivotally coupled to the mowing height control plate 122 byreceiving the bolt 142 through the aperture 144 and the cylindrical tube326. The proximal end 314 of lower link contains an aperture 330 thatreceives a bolt 332 to couple the lower link 298 to the arcuate slot 328of the height indicator 300. Referring again to FIGS. 23 and 27, theindicator linkage 292 also contains a spring 333. The spring 333 iscoupled to aperture 312 at its first end and to bolt 332 at its secondend to bias the upper link 296 downwardly.

As stated above, the towers 45 have been modified such that they extendrearwardly to the rear 48 of the deck 10. As best shown in FIG. 23, thetower contains a forward portion 334 and an aft portion 336. The aftportion 336 is welded to U-shaped receiving member 64. As shown in FIG.27, the forward portion 334 of at least one of the towers 45 contains anumber of apertures 338, the importance of which will be discussedbelow.

Referring now to FIGS. 24 and 25, the electronic height adjustmentassembly 294 is shown. FIG. 24 shows the electronic height adjustmentassembly 294 when the deck 10 in the use position while FIG. 25 showsthe electronic height adjustment assembly 294 when the deck 10 in theservicing or storage position. The electronic height adjustment assembly294 broadly includes an electric actuator 340 and a switch mount 342.Referring now to FIG. 27, the electric actuator 340 includes a proximalend 344 and a distal end 346. The proximal end 344 is coupled to theforward portion 334 of the tower 45 via a bracket 348. The bracket 348includes a pair of upstanding plates 350 and a base plate 352 with aplurality of apertures 354. The apertures 354 are generally aligned withthe apertures 338 located on the forward portion 334 of the tower 45 andserve to mount the bracket 348 to the tower 45 via bolts 355. Theupstanding plates 350 are perpendicular to the base plate 352 and extendupwardly therefrom. The upstanding plates 350 are spaced apart from oneanother in a generally parallel relationship. The upper portions of theupstanding plates 350 each contain an aperture 357.

Referring now to FIG. 28, the electric actuator 340 further includes afront mount 356, a rear mount 358, a motor 360, a series of gears 362, athreaded rod 364, a carriage sleeve 366, and an actuator barrel 367. Itwill be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that theelectric actuator 340 is a mechanism that translates rotational motionfrom the motor 360 to linear movement of the carriage sleeve 366 throughthe series of gears 362 and the threaded rod 364. The carriage sleeve366 moves in a telescoping fashion with respect to the actuator barrel367 to both adjust the height of the deck 10 and to rotate the deck 10from the use position to the servicing/storage position as will bediscussed in more detail below.

Referring now to FIGS. 24, 27, and 28, the front mount 356 is located atthe proximal end 344 and contains an aperture 366. The front mount 356is coupled to the upstanding plates 350 by receiving a pin 368 throughthe apertures 366 and 357. The rear mount 358 is located at the distalend 346 and contains an aperture 370.

Turning to FIGS. 20, 21, and 27, the pair of actuating members 78 haveboth been moved outwardly on lift shaft 62 to a location adjacentU-shaped receiving members 64. As stated previously, each actuatingmember 78 includes a pair of upstanding support plates 82 spaced apartfrom one another in a generally parallel relationship. As best shown inFIGS. 20 and 27, an additional support plate 372 has been added and iscoupled at its proximal end 374 to the lift shaft 62. The additionalsupport plate 372 and the inner support plate 82 are connected to thelift shaft 62 in a spaced apart relationship in such a manner that theyare on opposite sides of the U-shaped receiving member 64 when the liftshaft 62 is coupled to the deck. As seen in FIG. 27, a distal end 376 ofthe support plate 372 has a bore 378 therethrough for receiving a bolt380.

Referring now to FIGS. 24-27, the switch mount 342 is shown. The switchmount 342 broadly includes a housing 382, a shield 384, a spacerassembly 386, a wiring assembly 390 and a manual switch 392. As bestseen in FIG. 27, the housing 382 includes a forward portion 394 and anaft portion 396 with a U-shaped channel 398 extending therebetween. Theaft portion 396 has a horizontal passage 400 that is aligned with theaperture 370 and the bore 378 and receives the bolt 380 to couple therear mount 358 and the housing 382 between the actuating member 78 andthe support plate 372. It will be appreciated when viewing FIGS. 24 and27, that U-shaped channel 398 lowers the carriage sleeve 366 when themower 10 is in the use position.

Referring now to FIGS. 26 and 27, the wiring assembly 390 includes anactuator connector 402, a toggle switch 404, and a wiring harnessconnector 406. The toggle switch 404 is coupled to the housing 382 andcovered by the shield 384. The manual switch 392 is coupled to thetoggle switch 402 and extends outwardly through an aperture 408 in theshield 384. The actuator connector 402 is coupled at one end to thetoggle switch 404 and extends outwardly through an aperture 410 in theshield 384. Referring now to FIG. 24, opposite the connection to thetoggle switch 404, the actuator connector 402 is coupled to a connector412 located on the motor 360. The wiring harness connector 406 iscoupled at one end to the toggle switch 404. As best shown in FIG. 21,opposite the connection to the toggle switch 404, the wiring harnessconnector 406 is coupled to a switch 414 located near the seat 290.

As stated above, the switch mount 342 further includes a spacer assembly386. The spacer assembly 386 includes a spacer mount 416 and a pluralityof spacers 418. The spacers 418 are U-shaped with a slot 420 containedtherein. Referring now to FIGS. 24 and 27, the spacer mount 416 is agenerally circular ring with a flanged portion 422 and is adapted toreceive the spacers 418. The flanged portion 422 includes a verticalpassage 424. The shield 384 further contains a front flange 426 with anaperture 428. The aperture 428 is aligned with an aperture 430 locatedin the forward portion 394 of the housing 382. The apertures 428, 430and the vertical passage 424 receive a bolt 432 to couple the spacermount 416 and the shield 384 to the housing 382.

Referring now to FIG. 21, the mower deck 10 is shown in the useposition. The electric actuator 340 is in the extended position, and theswitch mount 342 is in a down position, covering the carriage sleeve 366of the electric actuator 340. When the switch mount 342 is in the downposition it serves as a stop for the electric actuator 340, which setsthe deck height, as will be discussed in more detail below.

To change the cutting height of the mower deck 10, the user would, whileseated in the seat 290, manipulate the switch 414 to move the mower deck10 to the desired height. As appreciated by one of ordinary skill in theart, manipulation of the switch 414 activates the motor 360 and causesthe gears 362 to rotate. As best seen in FIG. 28, the rotation of thegears 362 translates into a rotational motion of the threaded rod 364.The rotational motion of the threaded rod 364 is translated into linearmovement of the carriage sleeve 366 and, thus, movement of the rearmount 358 toward and away from the actuator barrel 367. The linearmovement of the carriage sleeve 366, in turn, causes the electricactuator 340 to lengthen or shorten, thereby moving the height of thedeck 10 down or up respectively. The height of the deck 10 can bemanually set by the switch 414 with the aid of the spacers 418.

Referring now to FIGS. 24 and 27, the spacers 418 are used to setspecific cut heights by allowing the setting of a specific predetermineddistance between the forward portion 394 of the actuator housing 382 anda rear portion of the actuator barrel 367. The spacers 418 may be placedindividually between the forward portion 394 of the actuator housing 382and a rearward portion of the actuator barrel 367, as shown in FIG. 24,or may be rotated upwardly out of the way to rest on the shield 384, asshown in FIG. 26. The spacers 418 also allow the user to raise the deck10 for obstacles and then return the deck 10 exactly to the previousheight.

To move the deck from the use position illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21 tothe storage/servicing position illustrated in FIG. 22, the user pullsupwardly on the spacer mount 416 to move the switch mount 342 into alift position. As shown in FIG. 25, once the switch mount 342 is raised,the electric actuator 340 retracts and the switch mount 342 rests uponthe actuator barrel 367. The user then manipulates the switch 392located on the back of the switch mount 342, as illustrated in FIG. 26.The manipulation of the switch 392 activates the motor 360 and causesthe gears 362 to rotate thereby causing the electric actuator 340 tocontract and raise the mower deck 10 to the storage/servicing position.

To return the mower deck 10 to the use position, the user manipulatesthe switch 392 on the back of the switch mount. As stated above,manipulation of the switch 392 activates the motor 360 and causes thegears 362 to rotate thereby causing the electric actuator 340 to expandand return the mower deck 10 to the use position. Once the electricactuator 340 is fully extended the switch mount 342 is moved back to thedown position, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 24. The height of the mower deck10 may then be adjusted by the switch 414, illustrated in FIG. 21. Whileswitch 414 activates the motor 360 in the same manner as switch 392,switch 414 is preferably only used to control the mowing height and ispreferably not used to rotate the deck to and from the storage/servicingposition.

Many variations can be made to the illustrated embodiment of the presentinvention without departing from the scope of the present invention.Such modifications are within the scope of the present invention. Forexample, in an alternate embodiment, the front wheel control arms 40 canbe replaced by cables or the like. Such an arrangement would permit thefront of the deck to be raised to the upright storage position but stillallow the user to adjust the height of the mower deck by pulling on thecables by way of rotating the lift shaft 62. Other modifications wouldbe readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, but would notdepart from the scope of the present invention.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one welladapted to attain all ends and objects hereinabove set forth togetherwith the other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent tothe structure. It will be understood that certain features andsubcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference toother features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and iswithin the scope of the invention.

Since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention withoutdeparting from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matterherein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to beinterpreted as illustrative of applications of the principles of thisinvention, and not in a limiting sense.

1. A mechanism for moving a mower deck from a generally horizontal useposition to a generally vertical storage/servicing position, themechanism comprising: a moving member having a first end and a secondend, the first end coupled with a forward portion of the mower deck andthe second end coupled with a rear portion of the mower deck; a switchassembly mechanically and electrically coupled with the moving member,wherein the switch assembly is movable between an engaged position and adisengaged position; and a height adjustment mechanism coupled to theswitch assembly, wherein the height adjustment mechanism furtherincludes a spacer assembly, the spacer assembly including a spacer mountand at least one spacer, wherein the at least one spacer cooperates withthe moving member and the switch assembly to permit a fixed heightadjustment; wherein the switch assembly is operable to activate themoving member to move the mower deck between the generally horizontaluse position and the generally vertical storage/servicing position aswell as adjusting a vertical height of the mower deck while the mowerdeck is in the generally horizontal use position.
 2. The mechanism ofclaim 1, wherein the moving member is an actuator.
 3. The mechanism ofclaim 2, wherein the actuator includes: a motor; a series of gearscoupled with the motor; a threaded rod coupled to the series of gears;and a carriage coupled to the threaded rod; wherein a rotational motionof the motor is translated into a rotational movement of the threadedrod via the series of gears thereby causing a linear movement of thecarriage along the threaded rod.
 4. The mechanism of claim 3, whereinthe switch assembly comprises one or more manual switches capable ofbeing manipulated by an operator of the mower deck.
 5. The mechanism ofclaim 4, wherein a single manual switch activates the motor for movingthe mower deck between the generally horizontal use position and thegenerally vertical storage/servicing position as well as for adjustingthe vertical height.
 6. The mechanism of claim 5, wherein when the mowerdeck is in the generally horizontal use position and upon manipulationof the single manual switch, the motor is activated, thereby creatingrotational motion of the threaded rod, which is translated into linearmovement of the carriage, causing the actuator to lengthen or shorten toadjust the vertical height of the mower deck.
 7. The mechanism of claim6, wherein the vertical height of the mower deck is decreased when theactuator shortens and the vertical height of the mower deck is increasedwhen the actuator lengthens.
 8. The mechanism of claim 4, wherein theswitch assembly comprises two manual switches which are mechanically andelectrically coupled to the moving member such that a first manualswitch controls movement of the mower deck from the generally horizontaluse position to the generally vertical storage/service position while asecond switch controls a vertical height adjustment of the mower deck.9. The mechanism of claim 2, wherein the at least one spacer is placedbetween the actuator and an actuator housing such that linear movementof the actuator is limited, thereby controlling the vertical height bywhich the mower deck can be adjusted.
 10. The mechanism of claim 9,wherein the at least one spacer is placed between the actuator and theactuator housing by sliding the at least one spacer around a circularring portion of the spacer mount.
 11. The mechanism of claim 9, whereinthe spacer assembly further includes a plurality of spacers.
 12. Themechanism of claim 1, wherein the mechanism further includes a heightindicator linkage coupled to the mower deck, wherein the heightindicator linkage includes a linkage mechanism and an indicatormechanism, the linkage mechanism having first and second ends, whereinthe first end is coupled with the indicator mechanism and to anintermediate portion of the mower deck, and the second end is coupledwith a rear portion of the mower deck.